A Victory in the African Playoffs—But the Mission Isn’t Over:-
The DRC therefore wins the African zone playoffs, but there are still playoffs against teams from another continent. The work is not finished yet, but once again, we know that the playoffs to qualify for the World Cup are a struggle, it’s a mission. When you’re in the Africa zone, it’s harder than Colanta, it’s like The Hunger Games. In short, it’s complicated. 92nd, there are 4 best play-offs between the four. There is only one left, and that is the DRC. And then you have a playoff against other nations in Mexico in March. In short, it’s a mission. But the essential thing for the moment is there. The DRC wins the African playoffs after beating Cameroon.
Beating Cameroon and Nigeria: A Fully Deserved Achievement:-
The DRC wins this match against Nigeria and well done, well done, just well done because this victory for the DRC is totally deserved. The impression that there was a little bit of stress, a little bit of fear on the DRC side, whereas Nigeria was really determined. But this is something that can be understood since the last World Cup for the DRC was in 1974. It has been 50 years since the DRC last participated in the World Cup. And what is happening now with sabers, having already qualified for the semi-finals of this Africa Cup of Nations and now having won these playoffs in the African zone for qualification to the World Cup, is strong and just, well done, just respect for the work that has been done.
A Stressful Start—Nigeria Strikes First:-
But in this match, from Nigeria’s opening goal , you can see that the DRC didn’t rush things because Nigeria was clever. Especially with arrows like Oimè, like Lukman, like Chouezé, there was no point in discovering you. But the DRC block was very high, which forced Nigeria to always play long balls deep to try and find Oimè, so that Ozimè could flick it on to Chouezé or Lukman to try and bring back some danger.
Nigeria’s Tactics: Clever, Compact, and Waiting for Mistakes:-
The DRC tried throughout to stay in the game. It was a little bit complicated from Nigeria’s goal until DR Congo’s goal. It’s a little complicated for the DRC and would even say that there is an advantage for Nigeria. There’s even that chance to make it 2-0 with Lukman’s cross and they’re kind of tripping over each other. There are two players around the ball and think Chouwez is tripping over his own feet a bit . If it’s 2-0 at that point, it becomes very complicated for the DRC and the story is no longer the same. And we do n’t know how it would have ended, but think at 2-0 it’s over. But there is this missed opportunity for Nigeria. But behind the DRC manages to equalize thanks to Elia who sets up Bakomu. The Bakombu center is good. Enid touches the ball but it’s too short. And there’s Eli with his thumb at the back, who starts on the right side and finishes the action on the left side and he’s the one who scores. It is at the beginning and at the end. And there’s a goal scorer, it’s one all and it’s very simple. From that goal by the DRC and that equalizer by the DRC, Nigeria literally disappeared. You haven’t seen anything more of Nigeria. There were very few opportunities after the goal.
DRC’s Equalizer That Changed Everything:-
There have been very few situations. The DRC completely took control of the match and you created a few opportunities. You had the ball, you were winning back possession, you were solid defensively, you were applying good pressure, but Nigeria could n’t get out of their own half, Nigeria could n’t create any chances. Osimè was substituted at half-time due to injury. From the DRC’s goal onwards, Nigeria could do nothing more and the DRC took control of the match. But the problem was that he couldn’t create any clear-cut chances, even though there were some situations, there were also some controversial things, especially with the referee. This situation where there is potentially a penalty for the DRC because, once again, the replays are complicated. We don’t have very good slow-motion replays, but what we see in this image and what we see in this video of this action in replay is that the ball is not touched. He is not affected. So at some point , there may also have been a mistake at that moment.
Total Congolese Domination After the Goal:-
There may have been some mistakes, there were some slightly strange situations with the refereeing today, but again, it would have caused a stir if the DRC had not qualified. The DRC has qualified, so naturally we’re going to talk about it less, but there are still things that could be contentious, from the DRC’s point of view , regarding the arbitration. And that, on the other hand, is a reality. There are things that need to be said. The refereeing, for me, was possibly a failure today. Again,didn’t see all the slow-motion replays, it’s complicated, they didn’t show us everything on screen. But there were some things that seemed a little strange, and it’s important to point that out. But today, the DRC completely took control of the match. They were absolutely solid. They shut down this Nigerian team. Nigeria was achieving nothing. From the second half or the 30th minute and therefore the goal of the DRC, Nigeria could no longer achieve anything.
Controversial Refereeing Decisions:-
It is the DRC that creates opportunities, the DRC that recovers the balls, the DRC that dictates the tempo, the DRC that is dangerous with the changes that have been made, which have been very good, players who have tried to penetrate, dribbles that have been well executed, good situations, but you are not able to create pure opportunities. It’s really just a few opportunities that come here and there where the DRC dominates, where the DRC takes control of the match and you felt that the DRC could have regrets if they were eliminated today. But the reality is that the DRC deserved their qualification throughout the match and in the end the DRC qualified on penalties. There is no scandal because the DRC deserves this qualification at the moment we are speaking, it deserves it. They steamrolled Nigeria in the second half. Nigeria offered nothing, and the same goes for contract extensions. Nigeria has not offered anything. They offered nothing. The DRC was on top. The DRC played their game and despite everything, after 50 years since they last played in the World Cup, that shows the pressure that was on the shoulders of the DRC players, especially with the absence of Wisa. And this is important to say too, there were absences on the DRC side, an absence that hurt.
Penalty Shootout: Mbemba the Hero Again:-
The absence of Wiisa is still a big absence, but the DRC did not back down. They played with their minds, they played with honor, they played with pride, and they gave it their all. Where Nigeria struggled to create any danger, it was the DRC who took control of the game and the reality is that the qualification is deserved for the DRC. Respect. And here we have to talk about Mbemba’s luck because today Mbemba is the one who qualifies you against Cameroon in the last seconds and the one who will score that goal, that last penalty, that qualifying penalty. Chancel Mbemba once again delivered a very good performance today. He is very solid, very comfortable in the air, very comfortable in one-on-one duels where it’s a close-quarters fight where they come right up against him. He’s very comfortable in that position, he’s very solid, very attentive, well positioned, and he scores that penalty. He would have been the strongman of the DRC. Clearly, he would have been the strongman against Cameroon today. He converted the penalty, which proved decisive given all the pressure surrounding Nigeria’s missed penalty , and managed to qualify the DRC. Well done and respect.
DRC’s Road: From Missed Chances to Redemption:-
Respect to Chancel Mbemba and respect once again to Desabres because it was he who made the goalkeeper change in the 119th minute when he brought Fayou in. Faouou saves that penalty against Mosis Simon and it’s thanks to that that you manage to score that penalty to qualify. The work this coach is doing with the DRC deserves applause because the CAN semi-final was already exceptional and nobody expected the DR to be there. It’s at that level. This was a team that was very underrated, and was already saying that at the beginning of the AFCON. Be careful, the RD is underrated. It’s underrated. There are good players, there is a great team and the coach has made sure to make this team what it is now and they have had a good run in the competition and today they finished 2nd in their group in the World Cup. Behind Senegal, after leading 2-0 against Senegal, they collapsed, losing three goals to, whereas in a draw, you were still master of your destiny. You were leading 2-0 but you collapsed at home. You didn’t handle the pressure well, but now you’re eliminating Cameroon, you’re eliminating Nigeria and you’re winning the African playoffs.
Player Performances: Leadership, Grit, and Hunger:-
Now, think the DRC is above any team they could face on this neutral ground. In Mexico, think the DRC is capable of qualifying for this World Cup. These are going to be matches that will take place in March, this play-off against other nations, against other nations, other continents. But today, the DRC is doing the essentials and it will be necessary to focus on these next steps. Today you can savor this moment, but you’re not at the World Cup yet. And it’s also crazy to think how much of a mission it is to qualify for the African teams. It’s a mission, but the DRC can be the 10th African team to qualify for the 2026 World Cup. And today, they showed some really good things. They showed a very good side. They showed some good things. They played well as a team. There were some small opportunities, but you had a little trouble creating real chances. But you took control of the match from the second half onwards. Nigeria no longer exists The first goal, you can see that it’s a bit strange. Maswaku’s slightly botched deflection that gives you a pigeon wing. It’s dangerous to do that. It comes back in the crosswinds, the shot deflects, a bit of luck on the goal but afterwards you don’t give up, you don’t leave yourself exposed. And that was the smart thing, the DRC never revealed itself and it knew anyway that Nigeria would quickly go behind its back if it started to reveal itself and they didn’t do it . Even when Nigeria stayed down to try and frustrate the DRC a little and force them to reveal themselves a little, they didn’t do it because they knew they had time.
DRC’s Fighting Spirit: Hunger, Pride, and Courage:-
He knew it and in the end he scored that equalizer and from then on you could feel that both teams were timid defensively but especially Nigeria and because for the first half gave Nigeria a slight edge but in the second half there was no contest, the DRC crushed them in extra time the DRC crushed them, there was no contest. Second half of extra time, there’s no contest. Even though there are some players about whom we can say a little bit,notably IA who scored and he scored a great goal, a very important goal for the DRC, but you could feel that at times he was forcing it a little too much, he was coming into contact with the opposing players when there were three or four players around him. Instead of passing and keeping possession of the ball, he preferred to try and make a difference on his own. And that’s what made things a little complicated for Elia at times. There are players who did good things, notably Chancel Mbemba who was solid defensively, One Bisaka also who started his match well, who managed to win duels and try to bring back a little bit of danger offensively. There was a good match from Musami, a good match from Muko. There was also the presence of Mboku who was everywhere and tried to put a lot of intensity, a lot of availability. He was there a lot to offer solutions, to win back balls, to try and dribble. You felt that this DRC team could have qualified and it would have been cruel if they hadn’t qualified on penalties.
The players are giving it their all. The players are eager, the players are hungry, and the players put on a good performance. Even if you felt a little bit of stress at the beginning, from the 30th minute onwards, it was over. The DRC took control of the match and Nigeria started to struggle. There were situations, there were situations for Nigeria, some opportunities including 1-0 but the DRC did not crack and the DRC did the job that was necessary. But today, well done, just well done to the DRC. There were also some Nigerian players who had a good game . Adja misses his penalty. Both of Nigeria’s central defenders miss their penalties in the end, and even in that penalty shootout, you say what happens? The first three penalties were missed. The first three were unsuccessful. Even then, you ask yourself questions, you say “But what’s going on in this match?” But in the end, the stress must have been immense for the DRC. But the DRC did it .
Only One More Step to the World Cup:-
The DRC brought down Nigeria. Strength also to the Nigerian. Stay strong . Even though, well, it’s true that from that goal of the DRC, it became much more complicated, but you can still be proud even though it was complicated, but in any case the caliph of the DRC is totally deserved, that’s clear and simple. But in any case, congratulations to the DRC once again for changes that would have done some good. Si Penga, a good entry, Mayel as well, Kayembé’s entry, Baliku’s entry was also good and he too brought back danger. MbA came close to securing qualification at the very end of added time with a header that was saved by Noabali. Noabali who also had a good game but there were a few situations too with Noabali’s clearance which was recovered by Mael but it was taken back so there was offside instead of letting the ball go to Mayel and think it was Siipenga at that moment who should have moved back so that Mayele could. All they had to do was push the ball into the back of the net, but you could feel that the DRC was hungry. The DRC started to press, play high, they were afraid, they weren’t afraid and even defensively Nigeria tried far too much to throw the balls forward, to throw forward, throw forward and the changes were hard.
A Historic Opportunity for a Nation:-
Adams did not make a good entrance. Mosis Simon was literally extinguished today. He failed to bring back any danger. It was complicated. It was complicated today for Nigeria, but that’s because the DRC played very well. The DRC felt that he was starting to take control of the match . They did not hesitate to try to get out, to try to press, and when Nigeria tried to advance, they could not combine. You couldn’t combine them. So the DRC recovered the balls and they went back on the attack and you kept control of the ball and when Nigeria took it back, well they lost it again but without bringing back any danger.
Congratulations, DRC—A Fully Deserved Qualification:-
You have the caliph, you have the victory which is deserved, you had the arbitration which was potentially against you today. And despite all that, you pass. There are still steps to come but we will be totally behind you and we hope that you will be at this World Cup 50 years later. In any case, congratulations again to the DRC.